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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24070630">A Minor Problem</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/winunk/pseuds/winunk'>winunk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, M/M, Minor Gods - Freeform, and I'm distRAUGHT, but I read the wiki page for a character, i haven't read the books, just cause he's not really going to play a huge role, minor goddesses - Freeform, minor gods/goddesses, nothing after HoO exISTS OKAY, percy is like 26, the canon demigods aged normally, we're gonna pretend TOA didn't happen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 19:56:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,235</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24070630</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/winunk/pseuds/winunk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Children of minor gods and goddesses are only just beginning to get claimed at Camp Half-Blood, but that doesn't mean that they haven't existed for millennia before the Second Titan War. When Olivia Pham finds out that her father isn't some deadbeat and is actually some god that she had been reading about, her life turns upside down.</p><p>So Ollie does what she normally does when everything in her life goes haywire, she starts binge reading. Except what happens when books in the Queens library reveal blank pages? What will Ollie do when she finds out that the half of her life she didn't know existed until her best friend got attacked is about to go up in flames?</p><p>--</p><p>I really don't know where I'm going to go with this, but that's an adventure we're going to take together. I haven't read PJO in about 2 years, so I might get some facts wrong. That's on me, please don't point it out and just go with it.</p><p>DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the PJO characters, nor am I profiting off of their mention/appearance in this work of fanfiction. Thanks to Rick Riordan for allowing us to live in the world he created for a little bit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. there's a reason why I've been afraid of dogs my entire life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I grew up with my mom telling me about monsters and heroes, things of fantasy, things that I wasn’t sure if they were real or not. She talked about them like they were almost real, but not quite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something that she did talk about with a sense of certainty was soulmates. She went on and on about how there was someone out there for everyone that was just perfect for them. She was so sure that soulmates existed and that one day I would find mine just like she found hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except… my mom didn’t find a soulmate. Sure, if you asked Thao Pham, she would tell you she </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> find a soulmate. She was convinced that she found her soulmate when she met my dad, but he wasn’t as great as she thinks he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>You see, my dad left my mom and me when I was born. My mom told me that he had a good reason as to why he left us, but she never told me what that was. I was left to assume that my mom was just blinded by the falsehoods my dad told her and that soulmates was another one of the delusions that kept my mom from hating my dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom. She’s one of my best friends. I would do anything to protect my mom, but sometimes she just needed to get her head out of the clouds and forget my dad. I didn’t understand why she still hung on to the memory of him until one particularly bleak winter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mom always made it a big deal for me to come home before sundown. I didn’t see why she made such a big deal out of it, but that didn’t stop me and my best friend, Jonah, from racing home as fast as we could. By the time we reached my street, the street lamps were already coming on and both of us were out of breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mom is going to freak,” Jonah gasped. “What do we even tell her? ‘Sorry, Ms. Pham. Ollie and I got sidetracked because we got into a </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span> argument with the volunteer librarian about a fictional universe of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes. “Jonah, it’ll be fine,” I reassured him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We walked up the path to the shed that I called home. I dug through my pockets, trying to find my key. Why was it always so hard to find that thing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ollie?” Jonah said, poking my arm. “Do you hear that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I rolled my eyes. This kid was always on edge. “Jonah, I don’t hear anything,” I said, checking the linings of my pocket for my stupid key. I was starting to get more and more frustrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonah grabbed my wrist, stilling me. The hairs on the back of my neck rose and goosebumps covered my arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jo,” I whispered, looking up at his frightened face. “What’s behind me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The street was silent except for the sound of Jonah’s heavy breathing. Wait. That wasn’t him. He looked like he was holding his breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Olivia,” he said. “Whatever happens next, you have to trust me, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My mouth went dry. Jonah never used my full name. He was really starting to freak me out. What did he mean, ‘whatever happens next’?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jonah Sheppard,” I practically hissed. “What in the world is behind me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gulped. “Orthrus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I almost reached up to clean my ears out. Had I heard him correctly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I tell you to,” he started, voice shaking ever so slightly, “you’re going to run to the convenience store around the corner and stay there until your mom can pick you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I trusted Jonah with my life, but I had no idea what he was talking about. I finally spoke up when he started to let go of my arm and reach for his earrings. “Orthrus?” I asked, raising my voice a little bit. “You mean the two-headed, serpent-dog thing from Greek myths?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sandy-haired boy beside me nodded slowly. His hands were on his earlobes when he looked over at me. His eyes were sad, as if he was saying goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“RUN, OLLIE!” he shouted leaping behind me. There was a flash of light and a loud snarl. I did as I was told and leaped over the fence in front of my house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was halfway down the street before I turned around, panting. It was dark enough for me to barely make out Jonah’s figure jumping back and forth as a very large dog charged at him. I could hear the sound of teeth snapping and snarling from where I was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonah cried out as the dog lashed out, catching him in the leg with its claws. I watched helplessly as he fell to the asphalt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jonah!” I screamed weakly. My words were lost in the wind, destined to be heard by no one that could help my best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dog turned towards me, and I gasped. It had two grotesque heads, with fur that was untamed and rivaled a horse’s mane. Its long tail was spiked and snapped behind it. I stood frozen in my spot as its red eyes glowered at me. The creature’s teeth were foaming as its heads bent down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I saw Jonah rolling, looking in my direction. I couldn’t hear him, but I knew what he was saying when he saw me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stupid girl,” he would say. He always said that as he ruffled my hair after an argument. I would be scouring through a book, trying to prove myself right. In the end, I was always right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creature, Orthrus, charged towards me. He barreled down the street, and I was frozen in my spot. It was a really bad time to notice that he was almost as tall as the shabby houses around us</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’m an idiot. I should have run.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he was one pounce away from me, its tail whipped in the air, deflecting something that had been making its way to the one place no one ever wants anything to go into. Orthrus stopped and whipped its head to the idiot behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, he took his time, prowling towards Jonah. My best friend was already injured and was still trying to let me get away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I made my decision then. I wasn’t going to leave Jonah to die. If we were going to die, we would do it together. God, I really was a stupid girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked around, not really noticing anything of importance, until I felt a light bulb go off in my head. Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I raced behind my neighbor’s house. I scrambled up their fence and carefully ran along the tops of the fence all the way to my backyard. For once, I was grateful that my mom made me try so many sports. Gymnastics really came in handy when your best friend was fighting some Greek monster that wasn’t supposed to exist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I threw open the door to our small shed. The dark made it hard for me to see what I was looking for. But it was there, right behind a wooden shelf that my mom started to build but gave up on. It was heavy, but I could do anything with the amount of adrenaline pumping through my veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I really hope that Jonah wasn’t dead yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I put on the safety brace and checked all the tension settings. Once I was sure I was ready, I headed out of the shed looking like the goddess of the Hunt and moon herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I climbed up on the fence again and jumped the small gap to my roof. Clambering on, I tried to find where Jonah and Orthrus were fighting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew I didn’t have a good chance. The best I could do was place 4th at a middle school archery contest, and that was when I was in my prime. It had been years since I picked up my bow. I just hoped that it was enough for me to help Jonah.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey big, shaggy, and ugly!” I shouted at Orthrus. “Cerberus called and he wanted his two other heads back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jonah’s head whipped towards me. His hair was plastered to his forehead. His cheeks were flushed from fighting the giant dog. I had never seen him look like such a mess before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have time to dwell on how attractive my best friend looked. Orthrus had heard my insults and came charging at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swung his tail around. I ducked, but I still heard the </span>
  <em>
    <span>woosh</span>
  </em>
  <span> as it went over my head. Where the fuck did these reflexes come from?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As quick as I could, I nocked my arrow. The cool metal felt familiar on my fingers as did the tension when I pulled back. Shaking, I aimed for one of the monster’s heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From what I could tell, Orthrus didn’t breathe fire or anything. I hadn’t read anything about pyromancy in the myths, but that probably didn’t matter right now. If I was actually fighting Geryon’s cattle dog, everything I thought I knew was definitely thrown out the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I really hoped that Orthrus didn’t breathe fire. Video game logic told me that even if I could incapacitate one of the heads, I would get smothered in flames along with my house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My mom would kill me if I ruined her new paint job.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, doggie,” I cooed. Orthrus needed to turn a little bit more before I could get a good shot at his eyes or mouth or nose. At this point I was just going to hit something and hope for the best.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My arrow flew, satisfyingly hitting his eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“BULLSEYE!” I shouted triumphantly. “Or should I say, dogseye?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was about to laugh at my own joke when I noticed his tail coming towards me again. I quickly rolled out of the way, but the sharp tail still got me in the back of the calf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit,” I hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling onto my knee, I nocked an arrow and let it fly again. This time I wasn’t so lucky. My arrow bounced shamefully off of its snout. At least now I knew what my targets were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keep it distracted, Ollie!” Jonah shouted up at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now how was I going to do that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked around at the houses on either side of me. Mr. Andrews was definitely going to be upset that I was running on his roof again, but my mom was going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>pissed</span>
  </em>
  <span> if she came home to two dead bodies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I jumped off my roof, boosted off the fence dividing my property and Mr. Andrews’, and rolled onto his. Never have I ever been so glad that I went through a parkour phase after seeing </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Amazing Spider-Man</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nocked my arrow again, aiming for Orthrus’s eye. I shot, ever so grateful for the gravity that helped my arrow along.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He howled and began swinging his tail towards my feet. I easily jumped over it and shot another arrow towards his asshole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I missed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Running to another rooftop, I repeated the process. Sweat was building on my back, but I had never felt so alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt like a brand new person. I reached for an arrow, prepared to take out his last eye, but I came up empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck!” I exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t even see his tail lash out and hit me square in the stomach, but I sure did feel it when I fell off the roof. I don’t know if I could even say I was lucky when Mr. Andrews’ beloved bush broke my fall. I wouldn’t have gotten into this situation if I wasn’t fighting Orthrus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt something drip on me just as I was deciding that I would just take a nap. I opened my eyes and saw a terrifying, glowing red eye staring at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orthrus growled in my face. More dog slobber sloughed down, coating my body with the warm substance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to have an infection after this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I closed my eyes again, bracing for the pain. If this thing was going to rip me to shreds, I wasn’t going to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the pain never came. The giant, sharp teeth never found its way to me. Instead Orthrus howled in pain and turned around to face its new enemy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt something warm splatter on my skin. Looking down at myself, I could barely make out the crimson dots. Holy shit, something cut off its tail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I turned my attention back to the monster and quickly realized that some</span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> had cut off its tail. Jonah was wielding two massive-looking knives with a murderous look in his eyes. The wound on his leg had somehow healed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I was facing Jonah, I would have shit my pants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Watching Jonah fight was like being put under a spell. He danced around the massive dog, blades lighting up his hair. His arms swung around so fast that I could barely tell where they could be at one point. He was like the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orthrus didn’t seem to care for Jonah’s fancy fighting. One of his heads snapped down to toss Jonah in the air. My best friend went flying, blades falling and clattering to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The whole world moved in slow motion. It felt like hours as I watched Jonah turn towards me and mouth ‘I love you’ while he fell to his doom. Orthrus held his jaws wide open, ready to catch the boy in his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“JONAH!” I cried out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My ears popped. The December night somehow got colder. Goosebumps covered my entire body as I watched helplessly. My muscles tensed as I felt something rush through me. For a split second, I was aware of my surroundings like I never had been before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My vision went black, and I felt my body crumple to the sidewalk. The last thing I could remember was a hot flash of light.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. my strict asian mother allows me to go to a co-ed camp</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Olivia learns more about her father. Jonah gets scolded by her mom. Olivia's mom makes her swear off boys. The usual teenage thing.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anytime there's words in italics spoken by Olivia's mom or Olivia, they're speaking the Vietnamese word. I just didn't type out the word because then I would have to translate it to English. Also I'm too lazy to type with the Vietnamese keyboard (I'm literate in Viet but I'm lazy)</p><p>If you guys want me to just put the Viet words, comment down below, and I'll change it for future chapters.</p><p>This is definitely just some exposition. </p><p>Also I'm basing her house off of the houses from Spider-Man (Tobey McGuire) and the Amazing Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When I woke up I could barely remember who I was. I barely opened my eyes and shut them immediately. Jesus Christ, since when was the Sun so bright?</p><p>I almost went back to sleep when I heard Jonah announce my state of consciousness.</p><p>“<em> Idiot girl </em>,” my mother scolded in her native tongue. “You had me worried sick!”</p><p>I rolled my eyes without opening them, a skill I had developed after years of dealing with my mother. I wish she wouldn’t yell at me so early in the morning. What happened last night? Why does it hurt to breathe?</p><p>“Maybe you should go get her something to drink,” Jonah suggested to my mother. </p><p>I expected her to say no and continue scolding me. She was never the type of person to take orders from others, much less a 16 year-old boy.</p><p>To my surprise, she gets up, grumbling the entire way. My door shut with a slam behind her, and I could hear my mom cursing in the kitchen.</p><p>I opened my eyes and sat up slowly. I was in pain, but I’d be damned if I let Jonah dote on me. I could take care of myself. This was just a minor obstacle in the journey of life.</p><p>“Hey how do you feel?”</p><p>I put on my best smile. “I’m fine!” I said, a little too chipper. I was never a morning person. Why was I so bad at lying? Even saying two words took up so much of my drained, morning energy.</p><p>Jonah gave me a pointed look. I returned it with one of my own. We both knew how clammed up I got when it came to my feelings. It was one of my many charming attributes.</p><p>As quick as a snake, Jonah lashed out. I grabbed his wrist just before it hit my stomach, surprising the both of us. The sudden motion caused me to double over in pain. Groaning, I clutched my torso with my freehand.</p><p>Holy balls. I felt like an entire building fell on top of me, and then thousands of construction vehicles ran over the rubble. Tears welled up in my eyes, and my head throbbed. I released his hand, definitely feeling more awake now.</p><p>“I’m fine!” Jonah mimicked. If my vision wasn’t messed up, I would have decked him where he sat.</p><p>He eased me back down on my bed and fed me some rice krispy treats. When had they come out with an egg noodle soup flavor? That was a <em> really </em>specific flavor to have.</p><p>When he turned, I slowly reached for another piece, hoping that he wouldn’t notice. I had always been kind of a fatass, but it was always under the radar. If only I could get my finger to extend a little bit more––</p><p>Jonah snatched it up. This time, my reflexes weren’t freakishly fast enough to stop him.</p><p>“What happened last night?” I asked him, deciding to interrogate him. We had wasted enough time trying to get me to open up. Jonah was like an open book. He would spill any information if I batted my eyes enough.</p><p>He sighed, running his fingers through his curly hair. He looked exhausted, as if he had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. </p><p>The bags under his eyes were dark, but they had been for years. I always thought it was because of the school, but I might be wrong. His hair was shaggier than I remember it being. It was as if he’s been too busy to get a haircut in the past couple months. Did I even know my best friend at all?</p><p>His mouth was pressed into a thin line. Jonah was obviously debating whether or not to tell me something.</p><p>My mom came back in with a glass of water.</p><p>“Do you want me to explain, or should you?” she asked Jonah.</p><p>I hate how they were in on something that I wasn’t. I recklessly yanked the glass of water from my mom’s grip. I tipped it towards me, obviously overestimating my strength. As soon as the glass tilted, I lost control. Water spilt all over me.</p><p>I managed to catch a gulp or two, but the glass had collided with my teeth. That did <em> not </em> help the pain I was already experiencing.</p><p>Jonah looked at me like I was a helpless baby. “I’ll explain,” he said softly. He took the glass from my grasp and set it on the nightstand next to my bed.</p><p>My mom left the room, leaving the door cracked. Nothing could get past her, I guess.</p><p>I fold my hands in my lap, looking at Jonah expectantly. I was trying to act dignified, despite looking like something had taken a piss on my face.</p><p>“Do you remember when I transferred to your school?” he asked me. The conversation was taking a completely different direction than I thought it would.</p><p>I forced myself to not roll my eyes. “Of course I do, Jo,” I said. “We were meeting up at the library almost everyday, and then you just transferred. I went from being pathetic to being slightly less pathetic.”</p><p>He smiled softly, probably recalling our stolen time in the library. I spent every second I could outside of soccer and archery at the library. I spent every second I could with him. He was my only friend, and I seemed to be his only friend.</p><p>“I was so scared that something like this would happen,” he said. His voice quavered, and he refused to make eye contact. “I was so scared that I would bring some terrible monster into your life, and I wouldn’t be able to defend you.”</p><p>I raised a brow. Well there goes all hope that last night was just some sort of weird dream. A very weird, violent, dark dream…</p><p>“I don’t know if you saw, but I handled myself pretty well last night.”</p><p>He scratched the back of his head, letting himself chuckle. Jonah was very tense, something that he never was around me.</p><p>“Olivia,” he said, using my full name again, “you could have died last night. And it would have been all my fault.”</p><p>Jonah sighed, still not looking up. </p><p>What was the big deal about fighting Orthros anyways? I thought it was pretty cool being able to live out my video game fantasies and fight a monster. Sure, we’re lucky we didn’t die, but how cool were we?</p><p>“Except, it wouldn’t have been all my fault,” he said, finally meeting my eyes. “You’re not at all who I thought you would be.”</p><p>His gaze was hard, something I had never seen in Jonah. It was unnerving and gave me goosebumps. What did he mean? I’m still the same person that I was when I met him, albeit a little matured.</p><p>“What do you mean?” I asked warily.</p><p>“Ollie, you’re more powerful than any demigod I’ve ever talked to. What you did last night is the kind of stuff that the demigods of the big prophecies can do. I’d do almost anything to have powers like yours, and you––”</p><p>“Demigods,” I said, though it came out more like a question. “You’re talking about someone who’s half-god and half-human?”</p><p>He opened his mouth to explain more, I’m sure, but I didn’t get to hear his explanation. My brain was working at maximum capacity. I was going to ramble until I understood everything.</p><p>“I guess after fighting Orthros, I shouldn’t be too surprised. So demigods exist, which means that the Greek gods do too. And if you know about demigods, that must mean that you’re a demigod. Since you’re giving me the demigod talk, so it seems, that must mean that I’m one too.</p><p>“But I look too much like mom for my Greek side to have come maternally. That means my asshole father is some Greek god. Why would he pump and dump? I get that most gods do that in the myths, but there are some that settle down.</p><p>“My mom wouldn’t have done it with a floozy. She’s a smart woman. I hope. I mean, she’s madly in love with that soulmate idea, which I still think is bullsh––”</p><p>“Ollie, shut up!” Jonah nearly shouted. </p><p>He was rubbing his temples, something that I didn’t even notice because I was so busy following the tangents of my mind. I guess my mom wasn’t the only one that got a headache with my rambling.</p><p>“Ollie, look,” he started, letting his hands fall to his lap. “Your dad might have been a great guy, but all gods have to leave. They’re immortal. Sticking around wouldn’t be the best idea either because they would be like the sun attracting all the moth-monster things.</p><p>“And you’re right. You’re a demigod. As a demigod, you become a target for all monsters. When multiple demigods hang out around together, we basically become an all-you-can-eat buffet for monsters. That is, unless you come to camp with me.”</p><p>“Camp?” I said, perking up. I hadn’t been allowed to stay overnight anywhere, and the idea of a camp seemed cool to me.</p><p>“It’s a summer camp for demigods,” Jonah explained. “Some campers are allowed to stay year-round, but most don’t. They have families and school to get back to.”</p><p>“Wouldn’t that put their families in danger?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like without my mom, but I couldn’t imagine how I could live with myself if I was the reason for her death.</p><p>He shook his head. “The camp trains you to fight,” he said, as if that made the situation any better. “Most monsters don’t bother you if you don’t bother them. If they do attack, you’ll be able to handle them.”</p><p>I didn’t ask what would happen if I couldn’t. I was too scared to. I’d probably stay at camp year-round. My mom was too precious for me to risk her like that.</p><p>Jonah must have seen the gears turning in my head because he placed his hand on my arm. “Your mom seemed to know exactly who your father was,” he reassured me. “I don’t think you have to hide for her sake. She’ll scare the living daylights out of any monster that comes after her.”</p><p>We both laughed.</p><p>Deep down I knew that I wasn’t afraid of monsters coming after my mom. I was afraid of the guilt that would come if monsters managed to hurt her. I’d have to come up with some other excuse why I have to stay at camp.</p><p>A soft knock interrupted us. My mom let herself into the room.</p><p>“I was listening in from outside,” she explained.</p><p>Classic mom. I didn’t have the strength to be upset at the invasion of privacy.</p><p>She sat down at the foot of my bed. With the only chair in my cramped room taken by Jonah, her only other option was to sit on the floor.</p><p>“Vi,” she said, her Vietnamese accent shining through. “I’ve been training you for this since the day that you were born. Your father is one of the most powerful gods, but he can’t stick around anywhere for very long.”</p><p>I scoffed. Of course, she had to have fallen in love with some macho asshole. We attracted the same type of people, I guess.</p><p>“Listen before you judge,” my mom said, smacking my head. “He can only exist when another god is in great peril. He was with me when you were born. Then he came back when you were still young.”</p><p>I furrowed my eyebrows, wracking my brain for any god that relied on another god for his existence. Who could have been my father?</p><p>“When you get to camp, you will get claimed instantly,” she said, grabbing my hand. “Your father promised me that he could. It’ll confuse the others at first, but Chiron will know what to do.”</p><p>I would have done a spit take if I could drink water. “Chiron like the horse dude?” I asked Jonah. He was probably one of my favorite people to read about in Greek mythology. I really liked horses for some reason.</p><p>My best friend nodded, struggling not to smile at my reaction. I didn’t bother hiding my grin, mood flipping instantly.</p><p>“Wait,” I said, suddenly realizing something. “What did you mean when you said you’ve been training me since I was born?”</p><p>Now it was my mom who donned a shit-eating grin. “You think I would pay for all those sports when we live in a dump like this?” she waved her hands around.</p><p>I knew that she was joking, but we did live in a crappy house. Even in my room, the paint was peeling and the window was jammed shut. Every morning I had to wrestle with my closet door to get to my clothes. But it was the best we could do, living in Queens.</p><p>“So archery, gymnastics, soccer, taekwondo, fencing,” I listed, “that was all to train me to be a better demigod?”</p><p>“That was to keep you safe the first time a monster came after you,” she corrected me. “Except for soccer. Soccer was something I thought you would enjoy.”</p><p>Jonah scratched his head. “Why didn’t you learn how to swim? Swimming’s one of those essential things that every kid should know how to do.”</p><p>I shook my head. “I’ve always had a fear of the ocean,” I explained. “No one can convince me to go into that abyss.”</p><p>My mom squeezed my hand. Her eyes were soft and sympathetic. </p><p>All my life, she had tried to get me used to water, but I couldn’t bring myself to get into a large body of water. The ocean was full of unknowns, and I liked knowing things. Public pools were just a vat of human filth to me. When I saw a bandaid suctioned to the drain at the ripe age of 3, I hurled.</p><p>Call it what you want, but nothing could convince me to learn how to swim.</p><p>“So what’s the plan now?” Jonah asked.</p><p>“Will Orthros come back as a bigger, badder version of itself?”</p><p>“Life isn’t a video game, Ollie.”</p><p>“It sure seems like my life is turning into a video game, now isn’t it Jojo?”</p><p>“I told you not to call me that!”</p><p>My mom slammed her hand down on my bed, narrowly missing my foot. “You children are going to give me a headache,” she scolded.</p><p>We meekly apologized.</p><p>“Now you two are going to finish the semester,” she said firmly. There was no room for argument. “You’ll go to camp for the winter term. That way Olivia will be able to slowly adjust into the camp lifestyle. And she won’t sit her lazy ass around my house, being useless like she always is every school break.”</p><p>I opened my mouth to protest but decided against it after receiving a sharp glare from my mother.</p><p>“Jonah, you will make sure that she is not distracted by any boys,” she demanded. “She shouldn’t be sharing a cabin with anyone, but I’ve been told how the camp is set up. Olivia needs to focus on learning how to fight.”</p><p>Jonah nodded. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he gulped.</p><p>“Wait, how’s the camp set up?” I asked, looking between the two.</p><p>My mom gave Jonah a pointed look, silently ordering him to answer my question.</p><p>“Well, um,” he said, voice sounding weird. Clearing his throat, he tried again “Each cabin hosts each god’s children. Each gender has their own bathroom, but for the most part, it’s all co-ed.”</p><p>“Okay? Why are you worried? Wouldn’t it be incest if I dated someone from camp?” I asked my mom.</p><p>“Dating kids from other cabins don’t really count,” Jonah explained. “Your cabin is full of half-siblings, so that would be incest. Everyone else is fair game.”</p><p>I wrinkled my nose and looked at my mom. Except she was glaring at Jonah.</p><p>“I mean, everyone else will be fair game once your mom says you’re allowed to date,” he corrected. His voice wavered. When he finished speaking, Jonah looked to my mom, who nodded in approval.</p><p>“No boys!” she said with finality. </p><p>My mom got up, and I guessed that was just the end of the conversation. When she got to the doorway, she turned around, as if she forgot something.</p><p>“I’ll give you a free pass today because you beat some helldog last night, but tomorrow morning, you’d better help me cook dinner for your <em> grandparents </em>,” she said, pointing her finger at me. “And for the sake of the gods, stop saying that monster’s name!”</p><p>When she finally left, I burst out laughing. It hurt, but I couldn’t help myself.</p><p>Jonah raised his eyebrow at me.</p><p>“You looked like a scared baby when my mom was talking to you,” I said between giggles.</p><p>“At least I don’t have to swear off dating for the next five years,” he shot back.</p><p>I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I was going to be alright. I might have been fed way too much information, and I could die at any moment, but I was going to be alright. If I had Jonah, nothing could be terrible.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>New update for my other PJO fic will be coming soon</p><p>I have finals on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday of this week and I have 5 pages left to go through on the other fic so yayyy</p><p>Soon you'll be reading the writing of a high school graduate who never gets enough sleep (:</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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